Intel to release code of BIOS successor

Santa Clara (CA)
- Intel announced it is working with CollabNet to release Foundation code of the company’s next-generation firmware technology under the Common Public License (CPL) later this year.

The Foundation code is a result of Intel’s Tiano project which is supposed to replace the BIOS at some point. The BIOS itself is more than 20 years old and the oldest software technology in PC platforms.

The new "pre-boot environment" is designed to be extended with new features and services, such as improved platform manageability, serviceability and administrative interfaces which are too complex to implement in the old BIOS environment, Intel said in a statement.

"Because pre-boot firmware is a vital ingredient in all modern platforms, silicon vendors and system manufacturers require stability in the Foundation code to protect their investment in innovation," said Will Swope, vice president and general manager of the Software and Solutions Group at Intel. "They expect unfettered access and collaborative control of changes so that interoperability can be maintained."

Intel said that it will release core Foundation code from its next-generation firmware technology as well as a firmware driver development kit. The Foundation code is supposed to assist in the development modular firmware drivers written in C programming language to allow the integration of silicon from multiple vendors.

Under the CPL, any change in the Foundation code itself and the development kit made by one company will be visible and available to all.